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I Catching 'm Handling! 
s I 

fi ^ THE HORSE. I 

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y Endorsed v,\ Horsemen, the Public and Press Wherever Introduced. || 

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COPYRI&Hr-bCD. 



DENVER, COLORADO. 



CHEYENNE, WYO.: 

DAILY LEADER STEAM JOB PRINT. 



is^s^s^g^^^^ss^^^^s^^^"^^^^^^^^^^ 



BOYINGTON & CARLTON'S 



-OF- 



Catching m Handling 



-i,.- THE HORSE. 



Enuorskd by Horsemen, ihe Puhlic and Press Wherever iNTRonucEi). 




DENVER, COLORADO. 



CHEYENNE, VVYO.: 

DAILY LEAnEK STEAM JOB PKINT, 
1885. 



'^&i 



INTROnUCTION. 

Our object in bringing this book before the public is 
to give them our method of handling wild, unbroken and 
spoiled horses, in printed form, as it is almost impossible 
to remember all the different points as given before a 
class, nor can we explain them as thoroughly as we can 
here ; yet it is a o-reat help to a scholar to have a practi- 
cal illustration ot the method on a horse as given before 
a class in referring to this book afterwards. In writing 
this book we have tried to make every point as plain and 
simple as possible, and by a careful perusal of them, and 
putting them to a practical use, you will have no diffi- 
culty in handling your horses far easier and more success- 
fully than by the old ways now in use throughout the 
West. 

We give to our scholars in a few chapters what has 
taken us years of experimenting and hard study to bring 
up to its present stage of perfection. We have handled 
the wildest and most vicious horses that could be found 
in the West, and have never made a single failure; and a 
large number of our scholars are handling horses by our 
method and are meeting with marked sue jess, and speak 
of it in the highest terms. They say their horses handle 
so much easier and better than by any other method they 



2 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

ever used, that they do not seem like the same animals. 

There have been so many so-called horse-tamers who 
have swindled the people by drugging the horse to get 
control of him, or using some new complicated patent 
breaking-rig that is of no earthly use only to keep control 
of the horse whilst it is on, that the people look upon us 
with suspicion, and are prejudiced against us. But 
wherever we have introduced our system it has met with 
favor at the hands of all practical, wide-awake horsemen. 
We have had scholars who have taken lessons from all 
the leading horse-tamers from Karey down to the present 
time, and one and all acknowledge our method of hand- 
ling the horse to be superior to all others. 

We include a few endorsements and testimonials to 
further prove the authenticity of our method : 

Williamsburg, Fremont County, Colo. 
Having taken lessons from Professors Boyington & 
Carlton, and seen them handle twenty head of horses, I 
can truly say they are wonderful men in their profession. 
I doubt if the world can produce men more especially 
adapted, or possessed of superior abilities in the vocation 
they follow. Their explanations are perfect and easy of 
comprehension, and animals under their management 
become perfectly docile and submissive without abuse or 
injury. C. F. Bridges, M. A. 

Colorado Springs, Colo., Jan. 30, 1885. 
To Whom, it may Concern : 

This certifies that we have witnessed the plan of hand- 
ling unbroken and vicious horses used by Messrs. Boy- 
ington & Carlton, and consider it humane, practical, and 
successful. W e hope it may entirely take the place of the 



TESTIMONIALS. 



cruel and brutal means too often used in breaking horses. 
We can recommend their plan to all horsemen as being 
safe and sure in results. No horse can be injured nor 
made vicious by their methods. 

Stevens & Rouse, Liverymen. 

Canon City, Colo., Dec. 4, 1884. 
We, the undersigned, have witnessed Messrs. Boying- 
tou & Carlton in their mode of handling and breaking 
horses, and take pleasure in stating that they performed 
everything that they promised to do. Their method is 
kind and humane— is a matter of education rather than 
force— is devoid of all tricks, and can be learned by any- 
one interested enough in horses to take lessons from 
them, and we believe that any horse broken or trained 
by their system will be of greater value than if treated 
with severity, as is too often the case. 
T. S. Wells, iVTining. Ira Mulock, Pres. Exch'g B'k. 
H. G. Fuller. Lyman Robinson, Mining. 

J. W. Dawson, M. D. D. D. Lewis, Mercury. 
W. R. Smith, Stockman. W. Parker, Horse raiser. 
C. f . HoYT, Warden Colo. State Penitentiary. 

Canon City, Colo., Dec. 24, 1884. 
This is to certify that I have seen Professors Boying- 
ton & Carlton catch and handle a wild horse without the 
use of a rope. Their metliods are good, effective and 
permanent, and should they be adopted by the people 
throughout the country, our horses would be more dur- 
able and safe, either under the saddle or in the harness, 
and there would be no more use for societies for the pre- 
vention of cruelty to animals. I do cheerfully recom- 
mend them to horse raisers, and I hope to live to see their 
methods of handling the unbroke horse adopted in every 
section of our country. Thos. H. Craven, 

Mayor of Canon City, Colo. 



NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 



LETTER FROM THK HUMANE SOCIETY . 

Denver, Colo., May 25, 1885. 
To Whom it May Concern : 

We, the officers of the Colorado, Humane Society, take 
take great pleasure in commending the method of Messrs. 
Boyington & Carlton of handling wild bronchos and un- 
manageable horses. They catch the wildest horse with- 
out the use of a rope, strap or any other means, except 
by kindness and approaching the animal through his 
intelligence. They do all they represent and more. No 
blow is struck; No throwing. No sweating. No bru- 
tality, The animal is conquered by kindness and divested 
of fear and is of more value to the owner by a large per 
cent than when broken by the old method. Heads of 
companies should allow their employes to use no other 
than their method. Fathers should have their sons learn 
it. Ministers should preach it. Teachers should teach 
it. The public should encourage it, and all horsemen 
should adopt it. It is humane, philosophical, effective, 
and accomplishes the^nd thoroughly. We believe it to 
be superior to any other method ever introduced, and 
a great step in the advance of civilization. We believe 
it to be practical, sure and safe. A girl can catch and 
handle a wild horse by their method easier and in less 
time than the hardiest cowboy can by the old method. 
We commend it for its humanity and perfect results. 

C. W. McCoRD, Sec'v Colo. Humane Soc. 
16th and Champa Sts., Welch Blk. 

N, G. BuRNHAM, President, 
410 Champa Street, Denver. 

Samuel F. Towle, Vice-President, 
303 Stout Street, Denver. 



CATCHING THE COLT. 

Let the colt you wish to catch be in a separate corral 
away from all other horses and out of their sight. The 
corral in which you catch the colt should be thirty-five 
feet square (a square corral is better than a round one for 
new beginners in the art of catching by our method). 
Let the colt become cool, all excitement gone, before you 
attempt to catch him. Take a long, slim pole (a joint 
fish-pole is the best) and advance slowly toward the colt 
with the pole extended toward his nose. Should the colt 
attempt to run around the corral, step in front of him 
and force him to stop ; when he gets quiet, put the end 
of the pole to his nose ; if he turns, keep the pole in front 
of him ; the instant he smells of the pole, draw it away 
for a moment, then put it forward again ; don't try to 
keep it there at first^f you do, he may become fright- 
ened at it. When he will smell of it and not become 
frightened, stroke his nose gently with it ; if he shrinks 
from it, draw it away for a moment ; gradually work the 
pole up on his face and head about his ears ; advance 
slowly toward him; keep up a stroking motion, and as 
you advance toward him work your disengaged hand up 
and down the pole that he may get used to the motion 
of vour hand ; talk to him all the time. When you get 



6 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

close enough you can take oif the upper joint of the pole. 
Should he refuse to let you put your hand on his nose, 
work toward his neck ; keep up the motion with the pole 
when you first put your hand on his neck ; you can soon 
take the pole av\'ay. Stroke him gently down the neck 
and over the ears ; if he flinches when you stroke a new 
place, go back to the place you were stroking and ad- 
vance slowly again. Should the colt at any time become 
frightened and jump away, step back and bring him 
around to the same corner again, and advance slowly; 
never rush toward him until you have him secured. The 
object is to gain his confidence and let him know you are 
not trying to injure him, and when you have won his 
confidence he becomes a willing subject in your hands, 
to do with as you please. There are some colts that will 
hold their heads down nearly to the ground when you try 
to catch them ; if you have one that does this, tap him 
under the jaw with the pole every time he puts his head 
down ; he will soon quit that. Then again you will find 
those that will not pay any attention to the pole, and will 
turn the head away refuse to smell of it. Take a hand- 
kerchief and fasten it to the end of the pole and swing it 
gently toward his head; this will excite his curiosity, and 
he will turn and smell of it. Another will want to keep 
his hind part towards you. For one of this description 
a few sharp taps on the rump will be sufficient to cause 
him to turn his heads toward you. 

ISTow brings your halter and allow him to smell of it; 
rub it all over his neck and ears and slip the nose piece 



CATCHING THE COLT. 



over his nose and off again a number of times before fast- 
ening it on. Sometimes you will find a horse that has 
been caught the old way and has been hurt around the 
nose, and refuse to allow you to slip the halter on over 
his nose. Should this be the case, quit his head and 
work his front feet with the pole by stroking his breast 
and down on to liis near front leg (;lear to his hoof, and 
fasten up his near front foot, as directed in chapter on 
"Handling the Colt." Then you will have but little 
trouble. in putting the halter on. You will have but little 
trouble in catching any horse by this method, if you take 
him by yourself with nothing to draw his attention from 
you. Should you have a vicious horse to catch — one that 
will fight— take a sack or piece of dried skin into the 
corral with you and keep it behind you out of sight. The 
instant he starts toward you, bring this from behind you, 
shake it at him and speak sharp to him. We have never 
tailed to quiet the worst of them in this way. 



TO STAND AT HALTER. 

One of the first things a colt should be taught after 
being caught is to stand when hitched by the halter, with- 
out trying to get away. Take a halter without the draw 
on the chin strap, put this on the colt, then put on our 
patent halter breaking rig, or take a three-eighth inch 
cotton cord (a common rope will do for a colt) about 
twenty feet long, attach two rings one foot each way from 
the center of the rope or cord, place the center on the 
colts' back — this brings a ring on each side ; pass the cord 
on the near side under the body and up through the ring 
on the off side, then forward through the halter. Now 
bring the cord on the off side under the body^ up through 
the ring on the near side, then forward through the hal- 
ter ; fasten both ends to the manger or post. This forms 
a draw around the body, and no horse can stand it to pull 
long, and the cords passing the shoulders keep him stead}' 
on his feet. Now force the colt back by swinging a 
blanket in front of him ; don't strike him over the head 
to hurt him ; one or two lessons will be all sufficient. Be 
careful about standing very close in front of him, for in- 
variably he will come forward with a bound to avoid the 
pressure around the body. 

Use the same rig on an old halter puller, only let the 



TO STAND AT HALTER. 



lesson be sharper and more severe than with a colt, fore- 
ins; him back until he refuses to straighten the halter 
stale. We have never failed to break the worst halter- 
pullers that have been brought to us for treatment in one 
lesson by this method, and nothing could induce them 
to pull back afterwards. 

Another very simple way to break an old halter-puller, 
or to lead a horse, is to take three-eighths inch cord, 
make a loop at one end, put this on as a crupper, pass 
the cord around the body just forward of the hind legs, 
under and over the cord on the back, then forward through 
the halter to the manner, then back to the halter and 
fasten ; then cause him to pull back the same as with the 
other hitch. Some horses will kick a little when this 
tightens on the flanks at first, but will soon quit it. This 
is a good rig to use when leading a horse behind a wagon 
if he has the habit of hanging back. This should never 
be used on mares when heavy with foal, as it is liable to 
injure them. 



TO HANDLE THE COLT. 

When the colt has been caught he should be handled 
all over in every way. There is nothing that does more 
towards breaking a colt than this does. Take a strap 
about fourteen feet long, or a long rein, swing this around 
the near front foot ; don't let it touch him until he be- 
comes familiar with the motion, when he will alh^w you 
to put it around his fetlock by drawing the opposite end 
of the strap to you, and form a loop by buckling around 
the strap near your hand and letting it slip down to the 
foot; then draw the foot forward and up from the ground 
and let it down again before he has a chance to resist ; 
repeat this until he will allow you to keep it up a short 
time ; then double it back, bringing the foot up to the 
elbow, and let it down again ; gradually increase the 
length of time in holding it up ; he will soon learn to wait 
for you to let it down. Now put on a knee strap around 
the fetlock and forearm. Then cause him to step around 
a little on three legs to get his balance ; if he is not 
allowed to step off a little, he is apt to drop to his knees 
and then lie down every time his foot is taken up. Now 
take the long strap and swing it around his near hind leg 
and fasten the strap the same as with the front foot ; draw 
his hind foot a little to one side and hold the strap iirmly 



TO HANDLE THE COLT. ii 

with one hand ; rub his leg with the other If he makes 
a motion to Idck, puli his foot from under him. In this 
way you can handle his teet on the near side, and by 
changing the strap to the off hind foot you can handle 
him on the offside. Do not keep his front foot strapped 
up too long, for it is very tiresome to the colt. Should 
he be extremely vicious and show too much resistance 
when handling his hind feet, put on a strong surcingle 
with a ring underneath, have a hobble on the near hind 
foot, fasten a long strap to tfie hobble, pass it up through 
the ring in the surcingle, then back through the ring in 
the hobble, then forward again to the surcingle: now let 
his front foot down and draw his hind foot up. He may 
struggle considerably, but will soon give up. Now you 
can handle him all over with perfect safety to yourself 
and no danger of injuring the colt. Jump all over him 
and slip off behind. He cannot kick or strike in this 
position. Take a blanket and shake it all around and 
over him. Always let him smell of anything you may 
bring around him. Pet him and reward him frequently 
with anything he may like. Be firm yet gentle with the 
colt; use no harsh means when you can accomplish what 
you desire by gentle means. We often handle a colt all 
over in this way before a halter is put on when handling 
before a class, simply to show what can be done with a 
wild colt. 

A colt (;an be taught to eat oats or other grain when 
handling by giving it to him when he is excited, for then 
he will nibble at almost anything. Horses that run in 



12 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

herds in the West know but little about grain, and they 
have to learn to eat it. 

Repeat this treatment a few times, and you can handle 
the horse as you please. By handling his feet and pound- 
ing on them lightly, he will stand to be shod without 
giving any trouble. Do not wait to have the blacksmith 
break your horse for you. The colt can be taught to 
lead and to stand at halter before handling him all over 
as directed here, but he should by all means be handled 
in this manner before attempting to work or ride him. 



PROPER METHOD OF BITTING. 

There has been a great mistake in the manner of bit- 
ting colts heretofore. The object to be gained by proper 
bitting is a free, graceful bearing of the head and neck, a 
flexible mouth, and also by our method a bearing of the 
harness on all parts, pressure of the collar and breechinsT, 
which overcomes his fear of the harness when first driven. 
This point has been neglected by all horsemen heretofore, 
and it is a decided advantage to be gained in handling 
colts, and in case time cannot be taken to bit the colt in 
style, as his services are needed on the road or farm, it 
puts him in better trim to work. In bitting colts care 
should be taken to not check the head too high, for the 
muscles of the neck soon get weary and the colt lugs or 
, presses down on the bit to rest the neck, and when he 
forms this habit it is almost impossible to remedy it. Our 
method of bitting colts whose services are wanted right 
away is to take a good strong harness with breeching, put 
it on the colt, and draw the side-straps tight enough to 
bring strong pressure on the collar and breeching. This 
teaches him to press the collar when pulling, and against 
the breeching when hoi ding- a load. It is a preventitive 
against his trying to jump or back out of the harness 
when hitched to the wagon. You will see by doing this 



14 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

the colt pulls a load at every step and holds a load at the 
same time, and if he is allowed to wear this pressure for 
a day or two in the yard or corral, he will pull his share 
of the wagon when hitched to it. 

Now, to put this harness on, take the colt in the corral 
— never harness him in the stable when breaking him, as 
he is more apt to become frightened in a stable than he is 
outside, and you have not the room to guard against acci- 
dents that might happen to the colt or to yourself in so 
small a place — and always liave him in such a position 
that he cannot get away from you by putting on the knee 
strap and fastening his near front foot up; have a halter 
on, and bring the harness in front of him; let him smell 
of it ; then rattle it around him; rub his side with it; 
work it over his neck, then on his back, and down over 
his hind quarters, always keepingfirm hold of the harness. 
Repeat this a ti umber of times until he shows no fear, 
then put on the collar and put the harness in its proper 
position on him ; then, as directed before, draw the side- 
scraps tight so that the harness will [)ress him at ever}-^ 
step ; now let him take a few steps on tliree feet; this is 
to give him to understand that he cannot get it otf, or 
must not try to; then let his foot down. 

Take a C(^mmon snaffle or joint bit open bridle, put it 
on the colt, then take a small rope or c()r<l, fasten its cen- 
ter to the back l)and, pass the ends forward through the 
gag-run tiers, then dow^n througli the bit rings, then back 
t() the side-stra|:)S. and fasten one on each side ; these can 
be raised or lowered to regulate the position you wish to 



PROPER METHOD OF BITTING. 15 

train the head ; the higher it in the more it will pull the 
head up, and the lower it is the more it will draw the 
nose in. Check loosely at first, and you can draw a little 
tighter as he becomes used to the bit, but as I said before 
do not draw the check too tight to start in with. The 
colt can be driven in the corral whilst bitting this way, if 
he is wanted to work right away, as directed in the chap- 
ter on "Driving to Harness " 

For bitting a colt where you have time to do so, to give 
him good style, use a regular bitting-rig, made of good 
strong leather, with crupper fastened on with buckles that 
may be let out or taken up, and two straps and buckles 
on the girth, or two rings, one on each end, and a latigo 
strap attached, the same as on a saddle. It is not neces- 
sary to enter into a detailed description, as the rigs are so 
common. Always use a snaffle or joint bit, and do not 
let him wear it but a few moments at a time at first, as it 
irritates some colts a great deal. 

Another very simple rig is to take the pad and crupper 
of an old harness ; take out the terrets, as they are only 
in the way ; take a small rope or cord, place the center 
in the check hook, run it forward through the gag-run- 
ners, down through the bit rings on either side, back to 
the sides and fasten ; this gives a free movement of the 
head up and down. 

Another plan would be to put on a surcingle with a 
loop on top and one on each side ; fasten the rope or cord 
to this the same as to the other. Should the colt form 
the habit of lugging on the bit, it will be necessary to put 



i6 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE, 

on the link bit, or a cord over the head and through the 
mouth, as described in the chapter on "Driving to 
Wagon." The link bridle is made of two links, three 
inches in length, made of two eighths inch iron ; put on 
a snaffle or joint bit, a link on each side of the mouth ; 
fasten these links tos^ether across the nose with a small 
round strap, not tight enough to hurt the horse ; attach a 
strap or cord to this strap and fasten to the brow-band of 
the bridle to keep the links in place, and whenever the 
colt pulls heavily or does not rein freely, give him a few 
sharp jerks on the lines, and repeat the lesson until he 
quits lugging and will drive freely. This will have to be 
followed up until he gives up unconditionally. 

When you are bitting the colt change the bitting-rig 
occasionally for the harness, with the pressure the same 
as described in the first part of this chapter. By this 
you are teaching him to work to harness, and it saves a 
great deal of time and trouble when you come to drive 
him to wagon or buggy. This is one of the best points 
to be gained in handling colts. They handle so much 
easier and better when first hitched up. 



DRIVING TO WAGON. 

After bitting the colt as directed in the previous chap- 
ter, the colt should be driven in the yard or corral, both 
single and double. Right here we will speak of a very 
simple method we have practiced with success to teach a 
colt TO turn either way by the bit in a very short time, 
without injuring the mouth in the least. Put on a bridle 
with a joint bit, or a straight bit will do, with good broad 
bars at the ends to keep the bit from drawing into the 
mouth. If you have not got a bit of that kind, you can 
use a bit with rings at the ends. Pass a strap through the 
rings under the jaw just tight enouo^h to keep the bit in 
place, then take a line, fasten it to the bit, tie a knot in 
tlie tail, split the hair above the knot, pass the line 
through the tail back to the bit, draw his head to one side 
— that Forces him to turn. Practice this a short time and 
he will turn by simply pulling on the bit; then go on the 
opposite side and repeat the lesson. You will see by this 
that he has learned to turn either way in a very short 
time. Xow take your lines, fasten them to the bit, but 
to no other part of the harness; this allows the lines to 
come down on the legs, which gets him used to the swing- 
ing of the tugs or traces, and it also gives you a chance to 
turn a colt by drawing the line around the rump. After 



NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 



the colt becomes used to the lines around his legs and 
rump, we allow him to step over them and then draw 
them up between his legs. This is done to prevent his 
becoming frightened, should he through some cause get 
astride the trace when driven. Now he should be taught 
the meaning of the word "whoa," and one of the simplest 
ways, and the easiest on the horse, is to put a hobble or 
foot-strap on either one of the front feet; attach a line or 
stout cord to this and pass it up under the belly-hand 
back and hold it with your lines, now start him up, and 
when you wish him to stop say "whoa,'' and pull up his foot; 
draw on the lines at the same time. He may struggle a 
little, but still keep his foot up until he ceases to struggle 
and will stand still; then let his foot down; then start him 
again, and repeat. He will soon stop at the word with- 
out pulling on the footstrap. This avoids hurting the 
mouth by trying to teach them to stop by pulling on the 
bit. There are some horses that will not learn to stop by 
this. These are generally dull, stupid horses. With these 
you will have to pursue a different course. For a horse 
of this kind take a cotton cord three-eighths of an inch in 
diameter, (or a cotton clothes line will do) and about 
twenty or twenty-five feet long; place the center of this 
cord across the horse's head under the crown piece of the 
bridle, pass the ends down underneath the bridle, through 
the mouth and up through the gag-runners, back behind 
the horse — the cords cross each other in the mouth; now 
when you wish to stop the horse give a shar[> pull on this 
cord; be sure to speak to the horse at the same time; 



DRIVING TO WAGON. 



this must be used judiciouslj as it is very severe, for it 
acts on the tender nerves on the top of the head as well 
as on the mouth, and if used too severely it is liable to 
cause him to run back. Always use cotton cord, as it will 
not cut the mouth as harsher cords will. The bit should 
be below the cord in the mouth so as to give free action 
when pulled upon. Now the colt or horse is ready to be 
driven double Always drive them in the yard or corral 
before hitching to wasjon, as you have better control of 
them there than elsewhere. After driving them together 
for a short time in the corral they are ready to hitch to 
the wagon. Drive them hitched together up to the 
wagon and around it, and rattle the wagon that he may 
get used to the noise. The horse you drive the colt by 
should be a gentle one that will standstill when you hitch 
up. For the lirst two or three times you drive the colt 
have the foot strap on ; always put it on the inside front 
foot ; pass the strap up under the belly-band (which should 
be loose enough to allow the strap to slip freely), then 
between the trace and tongue into the wagon. This pre- 
vents his running should he become frightened, or throws 
him off his guard should he attempt to kick, by pulling 
his foot up should he attempt to do either. Always let 
it down as soon as he quits trying to kick or run. Never 
drive the colt a long distance the tirst time. It is not the 
distance you drive but the manner in which you drive 
that breaks the colt properly. One mile driven on a walk, 
keeping the colt cool, is better than ten or twenty 'miles 
driven on a trot or run, as the majority of breakers drive 



20 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

in this country. You are breaking the colt fully as much 
when you are hitching up and unhitching as when driv- 
ing him. 

In giving these instructions it is supposed that when you 
are driving the colt in the corral the side-straps of the 
harness are drawn tight enough to press the collar against 
the shoulders and the breeching against the hind parts 
quite heavily. This gets hirn accustomed to pulling and 
holding back, and when he is hitched to the wagon he 
will press the collar and pull his share of the wagon very 
soon after starting. When the harness is drawn tight, 
the breeching should be well up under the tail ; if it is 
low down it will bind his limbs too much and prevent his 
traveling freely. It is not necessary to have the harness 
drawn tight when driving to wagon : in fact, it is best to 
loosen it some. 

There is one thing I wish to speak ot here concerning 
the harness: Be sure it lits the colt, neither too biff or 
too small. We have ofter seen horses driven with the 
short trace that connects with the hame too long and the 
belly-band drawn tight around the body, and the poor 
horse pulling the most of the load by the band around his 
body; then again the back-band slipping around over the 
back being too long and the belly-band drawn tight, the 
breeching too loose and swinging from one side to the 
other. The collar is the most important part. This 
should fit perfectly — neither too tight or too loose. There 
should be just room enough between the collar and wind- 
pipe to slip your open hand in. Have the hames well 
fitted to the collar. 



DRIVING TO WAGON. 21 



Should you wish to break the colt to drive single, after 
driving him a short time in the corral and you have good 
control of him, take two smooth poles long enough to 
pass through the shaft lugs and drag on the ground be- 
hind the horse. A cross-piece is fastened on just back of 
the horse. Drive him awhile in this rig and allow him to 
come back against the cross-piece : have the cord on de- 
scribed in this chapter, and use it should he make any at- 
tempt to kick. When he will drive all right to this rig, 
he is ready to be hitched to a sulky or road cart. If he 
has been handled properly he will drive off with but little 
trouble. If possible drive him to a two-wheeled rig, as it 
allows the colt to tiirn without cramping the wheels. It 
is an excellent plan to drive the colt two or three times 
double before driving him single; the other horse is com- 
pany to him, and he learns to keep the road and will not 
be so apt to swing out of the road awaj^ from every strange 
object he may meet. 

It is customary to use blinders on colts when breaking 
them. This is altogether wrong. They should never be 
used on horses, unless it be one that is lazy or gets cun- 
ning and watches the whip, and when it is in the socket 
he will lag behind, but the instant you make a motion to 
get it he will spring forward. In a case like this, one 
aught to use them, otherwise they are an abomination, as 
they are usually put on haphazard, sometimes pressing 
against the eyes or swinging back and forth like a loose 
blind on a house during a wind storm. Horses of ordi- 
nary intelligence will drive better and safer without them. 



22 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

Let the colt see all that is going on around him ; it gives 
him greater confidence in himself, and he will not scare 
at anything that comes up behind him one-half as quick 
if he can see it coming as he will if his line of vision is 
shut off. Then again it injures the sight, more especially 
where the blinders are close to4he eyes. 



BREAKING TO SADDLE. 

Breaking- to saddle is one of the main points in handling 
horses in the West, where there are so many saddle horses 
used. In the East there is but little difficulty experienced 
in riding horses. But little is kno\^n there about buck- 
ing or pitching for this reason : The colts are kept, as a 
rule, in or around the barn, and they have no fear of man 
as they are almost constantly around them, and the bo5's 
on the farm are climbing over them long before they are 
able to carr}^ them any distance, and by the time they are 
old enough to ride they will travel right off without giv. 
ing any trouble. Occasionally one will jump a little, but 
that is no comparison to the style the Western horse will 
work a man ui3 when breaking him to the saddle by the 
old method, and it is a great source of amusement to the 
broncho riders to get a rider just from the East upon an 
old veteran bucker, as he will invariabl}^ throw him. 
Their pitching is so much harder and of a different nature 
than that of t1ie Eastern horses. And why? Simply be- 
cause in the majority of cases (I might say all) they are 
taught to pitch. Take the horses of the East and let 
them run wild on the plains or in the hills the same as 
the horses of the West, and jam them around as they do 
here, and they would be just as wild, if not wilder. In 



24 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

fact, I believe they would be worse, for it is a harder task 
to handle a spoiled blooded horse than two spoiled bron- 
chos or Western horses, for the blooded horse has got the 
bottom and staying qualities which the cold blooded 
horses do not possess. Blooded horses that have been 
raised here and allowed to run out on the range until old 
enough to work have given more trouble in breaking than 
the common horses of the West They were more excit- 
able when heated up and resisted longer. 

There are no works that treat on the proper method of 
handling horses to the saddle that we can find. There 
are plenty of works (such as they are) that treat on break- 
ing to wagon. The reason for this is that all horsemen 
who have traveled through this country heretofore are 
men from the East, where, as I said before, they have no 
trouble in handling their horses to saddle, as they are in- 
variably broken to the harness first, and are thoroughly 
domesticated. In the West the horses that run in herds 
are but one grade above the wild horse. The horses of 
the West can be broken to saddle (with but very few ex- 
ceptions) without their pitching or bucking, if they are 
only handled right. We have never had any difiiculty in 
breaking them, either unbroke horses or those that had 
been broken the old way and would buck every time they 
were saddled up. 

Can we blame a horse for bucking when handled by 
the old way? Let us draw a pen picture of the old bar- 
barous method that has been ifi use, and still is, in all 
parts of the West and South : A band or herd of horses 



BREAKING TO SADDLE. 25 

are driven into a corral ; a rope is thrown upon the one 
that is wanted ; sometimes several attempts are made 
before the right one is caught, and the horses are wild 
with fright, jamming, pushing and running around the 
corral trying to get away. When the right one is caught 
he is snubbed up to the snubbing post and often choked 
until he falls from exhaustion ; if not, he is thrown, a 
blindfold placed over the eyes, a bit forced into the mouth, 
a saddle put ou and cinched or drawn until the poor horse 
is nearly cut in two ; then a rider mounts the saddle, the 
blind is drawn, and the horse forced to go by whip and 
spur. Is it any wonder the horse bucks, pitches, lays 
down, throws himself over backwards, and tries by all 
means in his power to rid himself of this strange object 
that has been thrust upon him ? He is whipped and 
spurred until the blood runs, and his mouth cut up by a 
harsh Spanish bit (a relic of barbarism). Is this right ? 
Is it human ? It certainly is not. This system should be 
banished from the land as being too barbarous to be used 
by civilized people. 

Handle your horse all over, as directed in the chapter 
on '^Handling the Colt," rubbing him all over with a 
blanket, pulling it off behind, etc. Bring the saddle, let 
him smell of it, and rattle it all around him. In most cases 
it will only be necessary to have the front foot strapped 
up. Should he be very fractious, it may be necessary to 
tie up the hind foot to the surcingle. Place the saddle on 
his neck, then gradually draw it on his back and down 
over his rump. Always keep a firm hold on the saddle ; 



26 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

do not let him jump with it and throw it off himself. 
Follow this up until he will allow you to place it on him 
without flinching, with his feet all on the ground ; this 
seldom takes more than thirty minutes. Now have a 
platform made about three feet high (this can be done by 
placing a plank through the fence in the corner of the 
corral); get up on this and lead the colt up to it by having 
a long strap or rope on the halter. Take a common 
buggy whip and make him step around by tapping him 
on the flank on the offside; if he makes one step, stop 
tapping and pet him by talking kindly and patting him 
on the neck ; then try him again ; he will turn his side to 
the platform ; now put your foot over his neck and work 
it along over his back and rump ; gradually place your 
leg farther over until you can sit on his back ; keep hold 
of the fence with your left hand, or take a turn around a 
post or top pole of the fence with the rope or strap at- 
tached to the halter and hold to this ; this is to prevent 
your falling or getting thrown should he attempt to move 
away. When he gets accustomed to this, get off the plat- 
form and strap up his foot and place the saddle on him ; 
draw the cinches just tight enough to hold the saddle in 
place ; lead him around on three feet for a few moments, 
then take his foot down and let him rest ; after he has 
rested, strap his foot up again and draw the cinches a lit- 
tle tighter so that the saddle will not turn when you 
mount ; put your foot in the stirrup and swing up against 
his side a number of times, then swing your leg over his 
rump and back, then into the saddle and out again a 



BREAKING TO SADDLE. 



27 



number of times; this is to teach him to stand whilst you 
are mounting. Now take his foot down and let him rest, 
as it is very tiresome for him to stand on three feet when 
you are swinging over him. When you are ready to ride 
him, take a three-eighths inch cord and put it on the same 
as on a runaway horse described in the paragraph on run- 
aways ; have the cord just long enough to pass under the 
horn of the saddle and up over the horn ; draw this just 
tight enough to keep his head in a natural position — not 
too high ; take np his foot again and lead him around a 
little to let him know he cannot buck should he attempt 
it; let his foot down when he goes without trying to 
jump ; swing into the saddle and start him up ; if he does 
not start off good, let some one lead him. Do not ride 
but a shcn-t distance before you get off. If he gives you 
any trouble, ride him at first with his foot up. This will 
take all idea of bucking out of him right on the start. 
When he will travel off without trying to pitch, let his 
foot down. After riding him around the corral a few 
times he is ready for the road. Ride but short distances 
at first, and in company with another horse. Keep this 
cord on the first two or three days, loosening it a little as 
he behaves good. When riding him in the corral it is an 
excellent plan to take a blanket in your hand and swing 
it all over him, and swing in and out of the saddle care- 
lessly that he may get used to all movements around him 
when you have him in such a shape that he can do noth- 
ing. -By breaking a horse this way you are not obliged 
to grasp the cheek strap of the bridle and pull his head 



28 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

around to one side in order to mount him, and he is broken 
on both sides at the same time, and if handled according 
to directions he will notbuck, for he has not learned how. 
Horses broken the old way are simply taught how to buck 
by forcing them to it by whip and spur before teaching 
them anything you want them to do. 



FEAR OF DIFFERENT OBJECTS. 

Fear is the main thing we have to overcome in the 
horse, especially in colts ; when breaking they are quite 
susceptible to fear. It is fear that causes the unbroke 
horse to shun or resist the approach of man, and to show 
resistance when the attempt is made to handle him. Our 
method of catching does more toward doing away with 
fear on the part of the colt or unbroke horse than any 
other method in existence. It teaches him. that we are 
his friend, and not his enemy. 

The horse's power of reasoning is limited to hearing, 
seeing and feeling. You have got to educate these 
three senses, and educate them by degrees. Ifyouwereto 
try to overcome a horse's fear of a buffalo robe, you would 
not force it at once upon him ; if you did, it would only 
increase his fear. You should allow him to approach it 
by deacrees — overcome his fear gradually. Horses some- 
times become so badly frightened as to drop dead. Horses 
often in crossing a railroad track become so paralyzed 
' with fear on the sudden approach of a train as to be unable 
to move out of the w^ay. There are horses so extremely 
nervous that it is impossible to wholly overcome their fear 
of some objects. They can be made safe for all practical 
purposes, yiet not really safe for a lady to drive, and a 



30 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

horse of this description should always be handled by a 
firm, careful hand to avoid accidents. The horse should 
be given a careful, thorough treatment in the yard or cor- 
ral before driving to wagon. C'onfine the colt the same 
as directed in the chapter on ''Handling the Feet." Then 
take a sack or blanket, advance slowly with it towards 
his nose ; allow him to smell of it; rub it gently on his 
nose, then on his neck, over his body, down on and around 
his legs, also on both sides of the bod}- alike. As he be- 
comes accustomed to this, slap it on the ground all around 
him. Do not strike him to hurt him. He must be 
familiarized with it in all positions. After using a sack 
or blanket you can use a robe of any kind by simply re- 
peating the operation. 

For a horse that fears an umbrella bring it closed; allow 
him to smell of and touch it with his nose; gently stroke 
his nose with it, then his neck, and all over. When he 
will stand this without flinching, bring it forward near or 
in front of him and open it slowly by degrees, and grad- 
uall}^ bring it over and around him. Should he show any 
fear at any point, let him smell of it again, and work back 
to the same place. Now step away a few feet and advance 
slowly toward him from different points. After the first 
short lesson with the sack or blanket it will not be neces- 
sary to have him confined in any way, with the exception- 
of a bridle or halter to keep him from leaving you, Never 
under any circumstances force the umbrella on him sud- 
denly, or any other object, no matter how well he may be 
broke. 



FEAR OF DIFFERENT OBJECTS. 



When we were breaking horses we generally used an 
umorella in place of a buggy top. When we wished to 
break a colt to the buggy we would raise and lower it, 
and swing it around and over him. We never had any 
trouble in driving a colt to a top buggy after this treat- 
ment, as far as the top was concerned. 

If the horse is afraid of the rattle of the buggy or 
wagon, first lead him up to it, let him smell of it, then 
rattle it lightly ; increase the noise as he becomes accus- 
tomed to it; then lead him alongside; then have it be- 
hind him, rattling and shaking it until he evinces no fear 
of it. Lead him between the shafts with his head toward 
the wagon ; raise the shafts gently ; if he does not flinch, 
press them gently against his legs ; then back him be- 
tween the shafts and repeat ; or, which is better, drive 
him in the yard or corral with poles and cross-bar, as 
directed in the chapter on "Driving to Harness," allow- 
ing the poles and cross-bar to strike his legs. Have the 
cord across his head and through his mouth, as described 
in the same chapter, as it may be necessary to check him 
should he attempt to kick or run. You must have good 
control of the mouth before driving to wagon, and this 
cord is one of the best means of getting control of the 
mouth that we know of. There is another rig or bit that 
is good : Take a good snaffle or joint bit, put two links 
three inches in length, made of two-eighths inch iron, on 
the bit by slipping over the bit ring, put this bit on the 
bridle, have the links one on each side of the mouth, 
connect them by a small strap across the nose, run a strap 



32 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 



or cord from this strap across the nose up to the brow- 
band of the bridle and fasten to keep the links from slip- 
ping down over the end of the nose ; now attach the lines 
to the bit as usual. This draws across the nose and forces 
the joint of the bit against the roof of the mouth. This 
is quite severe, and should be used with care. There are 
but few horses that will pull against this after a sharp 
lesson in the yard or corral with it. The band or strap 
across the nose is best when made round, but should not 
be drawn too tight ; if it is, it is liable to irritate the horse 
and make him mad. The links also should be smooth so 
as to not cut the mouth near the bit. 

When riding or driving never force the horse up to any 
strange object that frightens him, but stop him, speak 
kindly but firmly, and wait until his fear subsides, then 
drive him slowly up to or past the object. Never whip a 
horse when he is frightened. If the whip is used at all, 
it should be only enough to draw his attention from the 
object and keep him from backing away. Exercise judg- 
ment and discretion in this matter. Do not get excited 
yourself or allow your temper to get the upper hand and 
go to fighting the horse, for only harm can come from it, 
both tor yourself and horse. If the horse gets frightened 
at the cars, let him stand some distance away, and as he 
overcomes his fear of them, advance towards them. It 
requires time and patience to go through all these difter- 
ent points with the horse, but it pays in the long run, as 
you are breaking a horse as he should be broke, and he 
will be worth more than he would be if not properly 
broken of his tricks and habits. 



FEAR OF DIFFERENT OBJECTS. 33 



A great many horses are spoiled after being driven for 
years and supposed to be gentle in all respects, yet when 
hitched to some strange rig, or under peculiar circum- 
stances which are strange to them, they get frightened 
and run away, or kick. For instance, a horse that has 
always been driven in the country, when brought to a city 
everything is new and strange to him, and if he is of a 
hi^h:Strungnervousdlsposition,heis very liable to become 
frio-htened and run away or kick himself loose, and the 
same with one broken in a large city. 



BALKY HORSES. 

There are some naturally balkj horses, other horse- 
men's opinion to the contrary notwithstanding. We have 
demonstrated this to be a fact through personal experi- 
ence with horses of that description. The only theory we 
can advance for this is that the dam was balked whilst 
carrying the colt. All horsemen are well aware of the 
fact that colts inherit diseases, blemishes and tricks quite 
often from both the dam and sire, and why not balking as 
well as any other trick. Even these colts can be broken 
of balking, but it generally takes a more severe treatment 
than the horse that has been taught to balk throus^h bad 
driving and improper treatment. There is this difference 
between the two : A natural balker will show the dispo- 
sition to balk the first time a collar presses the shoulder, 
and is often quite stubborn about learning to lead, and the 
horse that has been taught to balk will work all right at 
first, but through overloading and ill-treatment he acquires 
the habit. In breaking colts great care should be exer- 
cised in loading and driving until the colt becomes famil- 
iar with his surroundings and his shoulders have become 
toughened. Be sure that the harness fits the colt in every 
way. Load light and drive short distances. Do not turn 
too short and cramp the wheels, as that calls for a stop or 



BALKY HORSES. 35 



a sharp pull, which irritates and maddens him, and is 
liable to teach him to balk. If the habit has only been 
partially acquired, it is best to try by all means possible 
to break the habit by kindness. Talk to him, shift the 
harness around, and get his ideas upon something else, 
then as soon as he makes an effort to move reward him 
with some oats or anything else you may have handy that 
he likes. Make short drives and repeat the treatment 
several times. 

There are several good plans for making a balky horse 
pull. Different dispositioned horses require different 
kinds of treatment. What will make one horse pull may 
fail on another. Study the nature and disposition of your 
horse, and apply the method explained here for his case. 
These plans that we give are those we have used with 
success, never having made a single failure. We will 
give the simpler methods first : 

Under no circumstances whip a horse for balking, for 
there is not one in five hundred that will pull from whip- 
ping. You are only injuring the horse and yourself by 
allowing your temper to rise and get the upper hand, as 
it almost invariably does in a case like this, for we know 
of nothing that tries a man's patience and temper as a 
sullen balker. He may try to keep his temper, but is 
sure to fail, unless he knows Just what to do, and the more 
you whip a balky horse the less good it does, for when he 
gets thoroughly warmed up his sensibilities become so 
thoroughly benumbed that he will stand the severest pun- 
ishment without flinching or showing the least signs of 



36 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

pain. In some cases simply stepping in front of the horse 
and taking him by the bit and moving him first to one 
side and then to the otlier, petting him every time he 
moves, will start him. Blindfolding is one of the best 
methods for starting a sullen balker ; he should be moved 
right and left at first. Shutting his wind oft' by putting 
the hands over his nostrils and holding them there until 
he struggles for breath will start some. Sometimes tying 
a string moderately tight around the ear or around the 
fore leg just below the knee will start a horse; these must 
be taken oft" after the horse has pulled a short distance. 

Nervous, high-strung horses should be handled care- 
fully. The simpler the method used on them the better. 
Do not get them excited if it can be avoided. We have 
put the foot strap on a nervous horse, and when he showed 
signs of balking pull his foot up, sometimes holding it 
there. This will generally eftect a permanent cure. Some- 
times 3^ou can break up the habit by unhitching the horse 
from the wagon, tie the bridle rein or halter stale to his 
tail, drawing his head around to his side, and letting — or 
rather forcing — him to whirl until he is dizzy and con- 
fused, and then hitching right in and starting him whilst 
confused. This will start most all balky horses, but it 
will not break ihe habit in all. These methods are good 
as far as they go, but as a rule they do not go far enough, 
especially with veteran balkers that almost become worth- 
less to work. These need a thorough course of lessons. 
It is almost useless to give a horse a lesson in a barn or 
shed. Let the first be given in the yard or corral, then 



BALKY HORSES. 37 

repeat it on the road. Put on a harness, draw the side- 
straps tig'ht, using the link bit, fasten the rein in the off 
link of the bit, pass it under the chin, through the near 
ring, step to one side and pull sharp on the bit; tap hira 
on the opposite shoulder with a long buggy whip and 
speak to him at the same time, using your customary 
word in starting a horse. Then go to the other side and 
repeat. As he moves freely either way, start him forward. 
This is to teach liim that whenever you tell him to go he 
must move. When he will start and move along without 
pulling on the bit, reward him with some oats or other 
food he likes. Now go behind him with the lines in hand 
and start him by pulling to one side. If he does not start 
at once, give him a sharp cut with the whip across the 
hind parts. Drive him in this way several times around 
the corral, stopping and starting quite often. Another 
good hitch to use in the place of the bit is a small cord 
with a stationary loop at one end that will just slip over 
the under jaw, pass the rope over the head down through 
the loop around the jaw. After a good thorough lesson 
in the corral, hitch to the wagofn and repeat, if he is 
driven single, and reward him b}- patting on the neck, 
stroking the nose, and feed him a little. By being kind 
and rewarding him in this manner, he will be more will- 
ing to do your bidding, and you are gaining his confi- 
dence. 

We will give another plan that we have never known 
to fail, but it must not be used on mares when with foal : 
Take a three-eighths inch cord, form a loop at one end. 



38 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

pass it over the tail for a crupper, pass the rope or cord 
around the body just forward of the hind legs, passing 
the cord under and then over the cord that goes from the 
tail over the opposite side, then forward through the hal- 
ter or bridle ring, and give a sharp, quick jerk with this ; 
this will not fail to start him. It is best to take up the 
front foot at first and give a few jerks on the cord, as he 
is liable to kick when first pulled upon, and this foot being 
up disables him some. He will not kick long. This is 
the best hitch in existence to start a horse. Test him the 
same with this after hitching up, the same as with the 
other. Let the lesson be thorough. Try him even after 
you think he is all right ; take no chances. For a horse 
that balks in double harness a little difi^erent method will 
have to be used. 

What is more provoking than to have a horse fly back 
in the harness and throw his head over the other horse's 
neck and look back at you as much as to sa}-, "Now, make 
me go if you can?" and unless the right method is used 
you will not be very apt to make him go. This is very 
trying on a man's patience, yet you might as well be 
patient, for you will gain nothing hy fighting him, only to 
get him more set in the habit. Take the horse in the 
corral and give him the same treatment with the cord 
around the body and tail as directed for single balkers; 
then, when ready to hitch to wagon, attach a pole to the 
wagon tongue and let it run out three or four feet beyond 
the end of the tongue. After hitching the horse to wagon, 
tie this cord to the end of the pole in such a manner that 



BALKY HORSES. 39 



the cord will not draw on the horse when he is pressing the 
collar, yet will draw sharply when he drops back; then start 
your true horse and touch the balky horse lightly with the 
whip. A few pulls on this cord, and he will keep his 
place and pull to av^oid the punishment. Have your stay 
chains taken off that the doubletree may have free play. 
It is not often that you will have to repeat this lesson 
more than twice. 

In the place of this nitch just described, you can use 
the cord around the jaw and over the head, down through 
the loop, then forward and fasten to the pole. This can 
be used in place of the other, should the horse continue 
to kick under the pressure around the flanks. 

You can start nearly all horses by unhitching an^l wdiirl- 
ing, but, as we said before, it does not, as a rule, break 
them ; it is only to be used when you have no other means 
at hand. 

In breaking a balky horse, put on light loads at first 
and increase gradually. Do not try to^ull too heavy a 
load, or pull your horse when in poor flesh, as he easily 
becomes discouraged and you are liable to spoil him. If 
you have a sharp hill to pull up,letyour team take a good 
rest before they make the attempt, and then let them pull 
slow^ly and steadily ; do not drive them on the jump for 
fear they could not make it without. If you have a heavy 
load, stop often and let them rest. Look well to your 
harness, see that it fits the horse, and should your horse's 
shoulders becon^e sore and tender, let him rest aw^hileand 
get them in shape before putting him at work again. 



40 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 



There are some horses that will balk and throw them- 
selves and refuse to get up, no matter how much you 
punish them b}' whipping or otherwise. A horse oan 
often be brought to his feet by placing your hands over 
his nostrils and keep them there until he struggles for 
breath, when he will come co his feet. One of the best 
methods for raising him is to let him lay quietly for a few 
moments; have some water handy, dip your hand in the 
water and allow it to drip, drop by drop, from the ends 
of 3^our fingers in his ear. Hold his ear open that the 
water may drop directly on the drum ; this will almost 
invariably raise him. We have had men tell us, "Why, 
I have tried water — poured it in the horse's ear by the 
bucket^l,and he would lie there as unconcered as before." 
There is just where they made their mistake. It is not 
the quantity of water you use, but the manner in which 
you use it. They cannot bear to have but few drops 
stirike the drum before they will spring to their feet. An- 
other plan is to take some powder and after he has lain 
still a few moments, when he has his eyes open, flash this 
powder close to his nose. This will frighten him so that 
before he knows what he is doing he is on his feet. As 
soon as he gets on his feet take him off the wagon and 
whirl him until quite dizzy, then hitch up again as soon 
as possible; he will go without thinking about throwing 
himself. Then give him a thorough course of treatment 
for balking. 



RUNNING AWAY. 

This habit requires sharp, decisive treatment, some- 
times repeated, to break it thoroughly. In order to break 
this you must by some means get control of the mouth. 
When you have control of the mouth you have control of 
the horse. Fright and mismanagement are the pricipal 
causes for horses running away. If the colt is handled 
properly in breaking, there is but little danger of his ever 
running away. Give the horse a good, thorough treat- 
ment as described in the chapter on "Fear of Objects," 
using the link bit, or, in case of a desperate, headstrong 
puller, the cord should be used. Take the horse inside 
of an enclosure, put the harness on, and drive the horse 
on a walk at first, and when you wish to stop him stiy 
"whoa," and at the same time give a sharp, raking pull 
upon the lines or cord, whichever you may be driving 
with. Repeat this lesson until he will stop the instant 
you say "whoa." jN"ow let him trot, and repeat the stop- 
ping at that gait ; then increase to a run. It never takes 
over twenty minutes to conquer most horses, yet there are 
some that are so plucky and self-willed when they get 
heated up that the severest raking you can give him will 
have no effect whatever. Their feeling in the mouth be- 
comes so dull or destroyed that they will resist to the last. 



42 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

If you have a case of this kind, put him in the stable and 
let him get perfectly cool, then test him for a short time 
and you will find that he will surrender unconditionally. 
Test him in every way. This requires thorough work. 
When he is thoroughly subdued, hitch him to the wagon 
and test him the same as in the corral, on the walk, trot 
and run. Let this be as thorough as the first. Be sure 
that he is safe in every respect. Take no chances on a 
runaway horse. It is best to keep the cord or bit on the 
first three or four times you drive him, and occasionally 
put him to the test. You cannot be too thorough in this 
treatment. He should be made safe under all circum- 
stances, even to the cross-bar striking his heels whilst on 
the trot or run. Keep cool yourself; do not get excited, 
although it is a good plan to shout at him as though you 
were excited or frightened. We have handled some very 
bad noted runaway horses that had been turned out as 
useless to either ride or drive, and we have never failed 
to subdue them and make them safe to drive afterward by 
this treatment. One in particular had run away so often 
that the habit had become fixed. When brought for 
treatment he would pull four men on the ground by the 
bit. In less than twenty minutes he was driven by a lady, 
and would stop at the word without any pressure on the 
bit when going at full speed. 



BREAKINa KICKERS. 

The habit of kicking invariably comes through mis- 
management or ignorance on the part of those handling 
the horse. If the horse has been properly broken in every 
way, as directed in the first chapters of this book, there 
will be !iO danger of the horse ever forming this habit. 
If the horse kicks whenever the harness is being put on, 
and objects to the crupper, strap up his near front foot, 
then tie a knot in his tail, split the hair above the knot, 
and pass the halter strap through and fasten ; let his front 
foot down, then whirl him around by drawing his head 
and tail together. It is best to go around with him a few 
times, starting him by pulling on the halter with the left 
hand and pushing on the hip with the right. If he does 
nr>t try to throw himself, you can then tie the strap to the 
halter with a half-hitch and let him whirl from ten to 
eighteen times around. As soon as he commences to 
stagger, grasp the strap and pull it loose. Have the har- 
ness close by, and whilst he is dizzy bring it up to him 
and place it on him gently; should -he resist, whirl him 
again, and then try it ; should he still resist, put on a good 
strong surcingle with a ring underneath, fasten a hobble 
to the near hind foot; now fasten a long strap to this hob- * 
ble, pass it up through the ring in the surcingle, back to 



44 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

the ring in the hobble, then to the ring in the surcingle ; 
now draw the foot up and keep the strap in hand; bring 
the harness, rattle it around and over him. He cannot 
kick in this position. Do not bejn an}^ hurry about fast- 
ening the harness on. Place it on his back and draw it 
oiFover his rump and let it drop on the ground behind. 
Do this a number of times, or until he will let you throw 
it around him as you please without flinching. Be care- 
ful and not let it hurt him in any way. The object is to 
overcome his fear of the harness, which is the principal 
cause of his kicking in the first place. 

Should you have trouble in getting the strap around 
the hind foot, you can tie the kno|; in the tail and run the 
strap through whilst he is in the stable. That will avoid 
the trouble of taking his hind foot in order to get to his 
tail. Some horsemen say by strappins: up the near front 
foot all danger of kicking is past, but we have found 
through expei'ience that a great many horses can kick as 
quickly and readily with the front foot up as with it down. 
We handled one horse at Berthoud, Colo., that would 
kick most viciously whilst on both knees, with his nose 
on the ground to keep his balance. It is always best to 
guard against all chances of his kicking by putting on the 
proper rigging, which is always very simple. There is no 
necessity for a great Cjuantity of ropes and straps, such as 
some horsemen use. The simpler and easier adjusted 
your rigging is the more good you will accomplish. 

ISTow, for a horse that kicks in harness or whilst driv- 
ing, take the same as before in the yard or corral and tie 



BREAKING KICKERS. 45 



head and tail together and whirl him until he becomes 
dizzy ;" then take a pole and rub him over the rump, down 
over the hocks to his heels, gently at first. Do not strike 
him with it. Should he still resist, whirl him again, and 
then pole him. As he becomes reconciled to your rub- 
bing him, begin to tap him lightly all over the hind parts; 
he will soon allow you to bring the pole against him quite 
hard without flinching. By being careful and taking a 
little time and patience, you will soon have him so you 
can handle his hind feet with perfect safety, yet should he 
be of an extremely vicious or nervous nature, you may 
find it necessary to draw up his hind foot, as directed for 
kicking at harness, and then rub him with the pole; as 
he ceases to resist, you can let his foot down to the ground, 
but still keep hold of the strap to prevent his kicking to 
hit you. In handling this way you should have a good, 
strong surcingle, as the strain on it is quite severe should 
the horse struggle much. Now bring the pole against 
him with his foot down; the instant he attempts to kick, 
draw his foot up, but let it down the instant he ceases to 
struggle. Now take a cotton cord about three-eighths of 
an inch in thickness and twenty-five feet long, place the 
center of this across the head, right underneath the crown- 
piece of the bridle, bring one end down the near side of 
the head, through the mouth underneath the bridle and 
above the bit, from the mouth up the off side of the head, 
through the gag-runners, back behind the horse; then 
bring the end on the offside down through the mouth, up 
on the near side, through the gag-runner, back; have 



46 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 



lines on the same as for driving; take the lines in. one 
hand and the rope or cord in the other ; now drive him 
around the yard or corral, and at the same time have some- 
one use the pole on his hind parts. Should he attempt 
to kick, give him a sharp jerk on the cord and speak 
sharply to him the instant you pull. He will ver}^ soon 
learn to fear that cord and cease attempting to kick. Use 
this rig on him for the first two or three times you drive 
him after giving him this lesson, and snap him up should 
he make the least attempt to kick. Watch your horse 
close and try to catch him in the attempt. One pull on 
the cord then will do more good than ten after the horse 
commences to kick. The idea is to teach him that he 
must not kick. The pole that you use on the horse should 
be a smooth one — a long fork or rake handle, or a pole 
similar to this, will he the best ; it should be long enough 
to keep yourself out of danger. In whirling the horse, 
do not tie the strap as soon as you draw his head around, 
for some horses, especially young colts, are liable to rear 
up and fall backwards, and should they do so, they will 
almost invariably fall with the head underneath, and 
either break the neck or injure it to some extent. Go 
around with him a fev\^ times; should he rear, and you 
cannot pull him down by pulling a little to one side, 
loosen on the strap ; keep trying this until he will turn 
all right. You can tie the strap in a half-hitch whilst he 
is moving around, and do not let him whirl long enough 
to fall; keep him on his feet if possible. We often see 
horses that are in the habit of kicking driven to a long 



BREAKING KICKERS. 47 



shaft cart, with a broad strap across the rump fastened to 
the shaft on either side. This is unnecessary. There is 
no need of such precautions if tlie horse is properly han- 
dled. One or two sharp lessons as given in this chapter 
will break the worst kicker. In all our experience we 
have never made a failure, and we have had the worst cases 
in the country brought to us for treatment. 

A high strung, well-bred horse will show the greatest 
resistance, light harder and give up the quickest. It is 
the dull, stupid horse that will light the longest and needs 
the severest treatment to conquer him. Horses, as a rule, 
are not naturally ugly or inclined to kick. We some- 
times meet with a horse that is vicious by nature, but the 
majority of them are made so by not being handled 
properly in breaking, or by injudicious handling after- 
wards. 



TO BACK. 

We ofteu find horaes that will work well in every way, 
but cannot be made to back. If the horse had been han- 
dled right in breaking, there would have been no trouble 
in making him back. To break a horse of this habit, put 
on the cord as directed for runawaj-s and give him a sharp 
lesson in the corral before hitching up. Let the lesson 
be sharp at first, but do not be too severe afterward ; if 
you do, he will form the habit of going back too fast and 
be afraid to press the bit. After a lesson in the corral, 
hitch to an empty wagon and try him. You can increase 
the load as he improves. You can often make a horse 
back by stepping in front of him, holding the bit in one 
hand and pressing the toe of your boot on the upper part 
of his foot, or by pressing your thumb a little to one side 
of the center of his breast, but these rules will not always 
work. 



FALLING BACKWARD. 

This is a very disagreeable and dangerous habit that 
some horses have. Horses broken by our method are 
never addicted to this habit. It is caused by putting a 
saddle or harness on a green colt and attempting to ride 
or drive him before he i& taught anj^thing ; he knows 
nothing about the word go or the work whoa ; he does 
not know what to do, therefore he does the first thing 
that enters his mind. Some will buck, run backwards or 
forwards, anything to get rid of the saddle or harness and 
gain his liberty. A horse that throws himself backward 
almost invariably does it when he is first started, either 
under the saddle or in the harness. 

To break him of this trick, put the saddle on — if he is 
to be rode — tie a knot in his tail, take a long strap or rope 
and fasten one end to the bridle or halter and pass it 
through the hair of the tail above the knot and draw his 
head around to his side ; fasten the strap by a half-hitch 
that it may be unfastened quickly, then whirl him around 
from eiQ-ht to fifteen times, or until he becomes dizzy and 
staggers a little, then grasp the end of the strap and pull 
it loose, swing into the saddle and start him off by a sharp 
cut of the whip across the rump ; whilst he is dizzy and 
confused he will go without once thinking of throwing 



50 



NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 



himself. If he is to be driven, put the harness on, and if 
he is to be driven double, hitch your other horse to the 
wagon, then whirl him as directed for saddle ; hitch him 
as quick as possible by the other horse and start him right 
oif ; the result will be the same ; he will go without 
throwing himself. In whirling a horse care should be 
taken that he does not go over backward when you start 
him in a circle. To guard against this, pass the strap 
through the tail, then forward to the halter or bridle, but 
do not tie; hold it in your hand and go around a few 
times with him ; should he rear up and threaten to go 
over backward, you can loosen the strap, and by so doing 
keep him from falling with his head underneath, as he 
would be pretty sure to do should he go over with his 
head fast. If the horse becomes quite dizzy from turn- 
ing, you will have to grasp the halter or bridle and steady 
him when the strap is untied until he recovers his balance. 
Do not let him whirl long enough to fall from dizziness, 
or he will get in the habit of lying down when you draw 
his head to one side to whirl him, and this must be avoided 
or you cannot break him of this habit by this method, 
and although there are other means by which a horse can 
be broken of this trick, there is none that does it so quickly 
and effectually. This may have to be repeated two or 
three times to effect a permanent cure, yet we have never 
found it necessary to repeat it more than twice. 



TO TELL THE AGE OF A HORSE. 

A full grown horse has forty teeth, twenty-four molars, 
twelve incisors or front teeth. Mares seldom have tushes ; 
when they do, they are generally impertectly developed. 
The teeth grow constantly, and it is the teeth, their 
changes and, formations, that we tell the age by. 

At the age of ten days a colt should have four nippers 
— two above and two below ; in six weeks another tooth 
will appear on each side of the central nippers; at the 
end of the third month these last teeth will have overtaken 
the others; at the end of the seventh month two more 
teeth will have appeared, above and below. N'ow the colt 
has a full mouth ; from this time on until he reaches the 
second year the only observable difference is in the wear 
of these teeth, ('olts' teeth differ from horse teeth by 
being less in size, smooth, clean and white. At the end 
of one year the cups have left the nippers and are par- 
tially worn in the middle teeth. At two years old the 
central nippers are shed and permanent or horse teeth 
take their place. At three years old these will have 
grown even with the others, and the middle teeth are shed 
and become full sized at four. At four the last colt teeth, 
the corner ones, will have been shed. At five we have 
what is termed a full mouth — that is, all the temporary 



52 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

or colts teeth are gone and permanent or horse teeth have 
taken their places. Now from this on we must judge the 
horse's age by the spots or marks in the middle of the 
teeth. At this age (five yp.ars) the corner teeth will have 
been worn even with the other teeth on the outer edge, 
and the inner half will have the appearance of being de- 
cayed. 

At six years old the cavity or mark in the center nip- 
pers will be worn down, leaving but a trace of the mark 
in the nippers; the mark is readily seen in the middle 
teeth, yet smaller than in the corner teeth. At seven 
years old the middle teeth are worn down until but a 
small trace of the mark or cavity is left ; the corner teeth , 
still show the cavity, yet smaller. At eight the marks or 
cavities have all disappeared ; ' tha^ is, they all look alike, 
only a small trace of the cavity is left in each one. At 
nine years old the central nippers have assumed a slightly 
triangular shape and the marks or cavities have mostly 
disappeared,- or only a small black speck is visible in some 
of them. After nine years it is almost impossible to tell 
the age correctly; in fact, even before this age, there is 
some difference to be found. Horses that have run out 
at pasture a great deal where the ground is rough and 
stony, will wear them down much faster than horses that 
have been in pasture on the low lands where there are no 
stones or gravel to wear the teeth, or have been kept up 
in stable. 

We will give rules used by some horsemen with very 
good success in telling the age after the ninth year : As 



TO TELL THE AGE OF A HORSE. 53 



the horse advances in age the teeth assume a triangular 
shape more and more until the teeth are longer from front 
to back than they are from side to side, as they were trom 
a colt up to the ninth year ; and where the teeth join the 
gum, the gum will run up to a sharp triangle or point ; 
the teeth will also project more to the front and overlap 
each other ; the upper corner teeth will form a hook over 
the lower corner teeth. At about ten years of age a 
groove will begin to appear on the outside of the upper 
corner teeth next the gum ; this groove will grow down 
as the tooth wears oiF until at the age of twenty-one this, 
o-roove has reached the bottom of the tooth. At about 
fifteen this groove has grown down about one-half the 
length of the tooth ; the teeth are of a smoky, dull appear- 
ance; they have lost their gloss or enamel and regular 
shape that they had in former years. 

Another rule adopted by some is very good in some 
cases : You will find by placing your fingers just above 
the eye on the skull a small ridge commencing just over 
each eye and joins together near the top of the forehead 
in front ; the suture becomes solid at about fourteen and 
grows one inch every year until the horse dies : the num- 
ber of inches added to fourteen will give the age of the 

horse. 

A horse's mouth can be altered by artificial means so 
that a ten or twelve year old horse, to an unpracticed eye, 
will have a five or six-year-old mouth. This can be de- 
tected very readily by examining the shape of the teeth 
and nature of the cavity. Triis altering the teeth is called 



54 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

"bisboping," from Bisbop, tbe name of tbe rascal wbo 
invented it. It bas been greatly improved upon by Dr. 
Dancer, a veterinary surgeon of Kew Jersey. It is done 
by cbipping off tbe teetb, drilling tbe center, and burned 
by tbe use of nitrate of silver or some otber cbemical to 
produce tbe dark spot. It is practiced to a very great ex- 
tent by jockeys and unprincipled borse dealers in large 
cities, wbere tbey are not easily detected. Tbis practice 
is known but little in tbe West; in fact, v^e bave not met 
witb a single case of "bisboping." 

We wdll say a few^ vv'ords on tbe care and treatment of 
tbe teetb : Tbe molars, or grinders, especially of borses 
advanced in years, are liable to become worn down very 
uneven and rougli and wound tbe mouth, sometimes quite 
severely ; they often break away, and tbe tootb opposite 
runs up and even penetrates tbe jaw, causing soreness 
and inflamation ; then again, a borse loses a tooth, which 
allows tbe tootb opposite the cavity to grow to such a 
length as to interfere seriously witb his eating ; be will 
sometimes throw out a mouthful of food only partially 
masticated ; be will often bold liis bead to one side wbile 
eating, and then again be will feed slowly and but par- 
tially masticate bis food, and is running down without 
any apparent cause whatever. Whenever your borse 
shows these symptoms, examine bis mouth carefully and 
see if it is not bis teeth that is troubling him; if they are 
rough and uneven, tbey should be filed down ; if a tootb 
has grown to quite a length below tbeotbers.it should be 
sawed off even witb tbo balance ; if you find a decayed 



TO TELL THE AGE o!F A HORSE. 55 

tooth, have it pulled. Sometimes you will find upon ex- 
amination that ihe jaw is swollen ; if this is the case with 
the upper jaw, and there is discharge from the nostril on 
that side offensive to the smell, it comes from a caries 
tooth. This should be removed at once and the parts 
cleaned out with a solution of carbolic acid or some other 
good disinfectant ; then take a bunch of cotton or tow, 
enoug-h to fill the cavity, and saturate it with either arnica 
or the tincture of myrrh ; be sure you remove all broken 
or decayed bone, and keep the cavity filled to keep out all 
foreign substances. 



LINE UNDER THE TAIL. 

Some horses the instant they get the tail over the line 
will kick or run away. To break this, put on the run- 
away rig, and have a large crupper made, or wrap a crup- 
per with cloth, making it nearly as large as your -wrist; 
this prevents his holding the line should he get his tail 
over it. Fasten an extra line to the harness forward and 
allow it to come under the tail; should he attempt to kick 
or run, give him a severe jerk on the cord in his mouth. 
Repeat this until he will not flinch, no matter how often 
the li^e comes under his tail. He should be handled in 
the corral first in this manner before hitchino- to wao^on. 
When breaking a colt let him become accustomed to a 
line under his tail, and you will have no trouble after- 
wards. 

TO STAND WITHOUT HITCHING. 

To make a horse stand without hitching with saddle on, 
fasten the bridle rein'to liis tail or to the side of the sad- 
dle, drawing his head around nearly opposite his shoul- 
der ; should he try to start, he can only go in a circle, and 
he will soon tire of that. Another way is to tie his fore 
legs together close enough to not allow him to step. 

For a double team, fasten a strap to the inside front 
foot of each horse and fasten to the wagon pole about two 



MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. 57 



feet from the doubletree. Let the leg be in a perpendic- 
ular position. 

For a single driver, fasten a strap to "the foot as for 
double team, and tie to the cross-bar. Always test jour 
horse before you leave him in this position ; some horses 
are liable to ofet frightened and luni>:e some. 



For a horse that allows his tongue to hang out of his 
mouth, fasten a. light strap around the nose; this will 
break the habit in a short time. Another plan is to take 
three or four large bullets and attach them to the bit bar, 
allowing them to hans; down on the ton true. 



If he puts his tongue over the bit, have the bit bent up 
about three inches, either to a point or square ; this runs 
so far up in his mouth he will De unable to get his tongue 
over the bit. 

If you have a horse* that throws his feed out of the box, 
take three or four round stones, about the size of your 
tist, and put them in the box; this will stop him; he can 
pick his feed out, but cannot grab it in large mouthfuls. 
Do not use sharp cornered stones, as they w^ill be apt to 
cut his lips or gums. 

TO TELL WHEN A MARE IS WITH FOAL. 

There are two very good rules to go by to tell before 
signs are shown outwardly. On examining a mare's 
mouth underneath the tongue, two small teats attached 
to the lower jaw will be found; these are about the size 
of a half-pea; these are each attached to a small cord 



58 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

which runs to the genital organ ; nine days after concep- 
tion, if the mare is with foal, these teats change to dark 
red or purplish color, and continue so until she foals ; if 
she is not with foal, the}^ are very pale. Do not examine 
the mouth right after watering, as cold water will take 
the color out for several minutes. 

Another rule is to take a strap and measure at the 
girth around the hody,then measure the body just forward 
of the hind legs ; if the measurement at the flank exceeds 
that at the girth, you can safely say she is with foal. 



^ HOW TO TEACH TRICKS. 

We will give a few tricks in this chapter, and how to 
teach them, which will he of'interest to some. A great many 
think that the Western horse cannot he taught tricks, he- 
cause, they say, he has not got the intelligence to grasp 
the ideas you wish to teach him. This is wrong. There 
are some dull dead-heads in all breeds of horses, that seem 
to have no brain to speak of, and are incapable of learn- 
ing hardly anything. We have found just as bright, in- 
telligent ponies amongst the Spanish, Oregon and Texas 
herds as there are amongst the higher breeds.^ In giving 
directions for teaching these tricks we have made them 
as plain and simple as possible, and any intelligent boy 
can train a young horse to do them, if he will not get in 
too big a hurry and crowd too many things upon the 
horse at once. It requires time and patience. Never try 
to teach a horse more than one trick at a time, and let 
him learn that one thoroughly before attempting another, 
and let the lesson be short, or the horse will become ex- 
cited and tired, and often become stubborn. 

The best age for teaching is from two to five years old, 
and a green colt that has never been handled before is 
better than one that has been worked or rode, as they 
work in so much easier, and know nothing only as you 



6o NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

teach them. Pick out one that is bright and intelligent; 
jou can tell b}^ a little experience. 

TO TEETER. 

This is a very neat, pretty trick, and one that is easily 
taught by exercising a little patience on the start, flave 
the colt well halter broke ; have him in a corral and awaj- 
from other horses ; get a broad plank (eighteen inches 
wide, if possible); let it lie flat on the ground, lead the 
colt up to the end and get him to put his front feet on it ; 
when he puts even his front feet on the plank, pet and 
reward him ; then lead him forward until his hind feet 
are on the plank ; let him stop, and reward as before ; 
then lead him along, a step or two at a time, stopping and 
rewarding often ; should he step off at the side, put his 
foot back on again o;ently ; when you lead him off the 
plank, lead him squarely off"; do not let him form the 
habit of gettino^ off sideways. Repeat this leading on and 
off* the plank, allowing him to stand a few^ moments on 
the plank each time, until he will do so without making 
any attempt to get off until you tell him to. Now raise 
the plank by putting a four inch piece under the center ; 
lead the colt up on thi^ slowly, and when he gets to the 
center let him balance very slowly ; tip the plank a little 
by stepping on it yourself. Do not keep this up too long, 
as it is very apt to excite him and cause him to step off. 
You can gradually increase the heighth as he becomes 
used to it. He should be allowed to rest quite often, and 
reward him by feeding him something he likes every time 
he does what is required of him. Now, to make him put 



HOW TO TEACH TRICKS. 6i 



his head down and lean forward whilst teetering, put on 
the cord around the lower jaw and ovt-r the head, as de- 
scribed in the first part of this work, and as he leans for- 
ward, pull down on his head, lightly at first; he will soon 
learn to do it nicely. This should take from three to four 
days to learn without irritating the colt. 

In teaching two colts to teeter on the same plank, take 
them one at a time, first in learning to go upon the plank, 
then when ready to have both go on, raise the plank the 
same as for one, and lead one on nearly to the center that 
you may be able to lower the other end for the other colt 
to step on ; then cause the first one to back by placing 
his feet back, one at a time ; he will soon go back by tap- 
ping his feet with the whip, and then back at the word 
given him. Great care must be exercised in teaching this 
trick, and not allow them to teeter too fast at first, as 
they are liable to jump off* or fall. 

A two-inch plank will be ^liick enough for one horse, 
but for two it should be at least one inch thicker. 



TO FOLLOW WITHOUT LEADING. 
This is a very neat yet simple trick, and one easily 
taught. Take a long cotton cord, three-eighths of an inch 
in diameter, form a loop at one end for a crupper, make 
a loop around the body at the flanks; have a halter on, 
and pass the cord through this; step in front of him and 
pull lightly on this, at the same time say "come here ;" if 
he does not move at once, pull rather sharply on the cord; 
each time he comes to you,- pet and reward him ; when 
he will follow without trying to dodo^e to one side, take 



62 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 



the halter off, but still keep the cord on ; if he lays back, 
give a sharp jerk on the cord ; be sure he follows freely 
before you take the cord off. 

Another plan to learn a colt to follow by the whip is so 
good we will give it here : F*ut on a halter, take a long, 
straight buggy whip and tap him on the rump, standing 
in front of him ; if he moves one step forward, pet him ; 
then repeat until he will follow by tlie motion of the whip 
alone. In learning him to turn either to the right or left, 
step to that side and tap him on the opposite side of the 
neck until he will turn his head or make one step toward 
you, then cease tapping and pet him ; repeat until he w^ill 
move as you wish him to. 

To learn a colt to come to you is about the same thing, 
only you step off some little distance from him and give a 
sharp jerk on the cord, and at the same time say "come 
here:" when he makes one step, stop pulling on the cord; 
repeat this iintil he comes up to you, then pet and reward 
him ; then step off and try him again ; continue this until 
he will come at the word of command. 

Colts can be trained by the whip to drive in pairs, the 
same as oxen, by taking them one at a time until they 
are thoroughly trained, then both together. 



TO HOLD THE HEAD DOWN. 

This is one of the neatest tricks in the list, and one that 
is very quickly taught. Stand by the side of the colt's 
head, and press down with your thumb and finger on the 
head just back of the ears; this will cause him to duck 
his head; pet and reward him every time; continue this 



HOW TO TEACH TRICKS. 



until he will put his head down as soon as j^ou make a 
motion toward his ears, either with the hand or whip. 
With a little practice the colt can he taught to put his 
head down to the ground close by you whilst you are 
either sitting or kneeling. This gives a colt a very intel- 
ligent appearance, which is quite interesting to spectators. 
You can learn a colt to put his head down the same way 
to have his bridle or halter put on. 

TO SAY "YES." 

To teach a colt to say "yes" by nodding his head, take a 
pin and prick him on the breast low down ; he will nod 
his head to get rid of the annoyance, the same as he would 
if it were a fly ; the instant he nods his head, stop prick- 
ing him, pet and reward him with something he likes. 
Repeat this les&on until he will nod his head the instant 
you make a motion toward his breast with your hand or 
whip. 

TO SAY "NO." 

To teach a colt to say "no" by shaking his head, prick 
him with a pin on the top of his neck in the mane, about 
half way from the head to the shoulder. Continue this 
(rewarding every time he shakes his head) until he will 
shake his head when you make a motion toward his neck. 
A colt will sometimes attempt to bite you when teaching 
these tricks ; if he does,' keep a light stick or riding whip 
in your hand and tap him on the lower jaw. 



TO KISS YOU. 

Stand in front of the colt; have something the colt 



64 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 



likes — an apple is the best, if he will eat it, but Western 
horses know but little about apples, and they have to 
be taught to eat them by putting pieces in their feed and 
also in their mouth until they will get to like them — give 
the colt a piece, holding it in your hand ; draw your hand 
closer each time to your face until he will take the piece 
from against your face ; finally hold a piece with your lips 
and let him take it, when he will do this^ hold a piece 
with your teeth — he will be obliged to open his lips to get 
it. It takes but a short time to learn him to put his lips 
to yours ; when he has learned to do this quickly without 
hesitation, you can give the apple to him, after he has 
reached for it. as a reward. 



TELL HIS AGE. 

To teach this trick, prick him on the back part of the 
fore leg; he will try to rid himself of the annoyance by 
stamping his foot or pawing; the instant he does this, 
stop and reward him. In teaching the colt this trick, 
your body should be bent toward him; straighten up 
when you wish him to quit ; he will soon learn to stop 
pawing as soon as you raise up. Each motion of the foot 
will indicate one year. 

TO KNEEL DOWN. 

In teaching this trick, have plenty of straw or some 
other soft substance on the ground so as to not injure the 
knees ; attach a long strap to the off front foot ; fasten 
up the near front foot ; cause him to make a step forward 
and draw his off front foot up by the strap, drawing over 



HOW TO TEACH TRICKS. 65 



the back ; do not hold him down but a second or two at 
first; let him up before he attempts to lie down, as they 
often will if kept down too long at first. After bringing 
him to his knees in this way a few times, take off the 
knee strap, and when you pull up on his foot, tap him 
pretty sharp across the leg just below the knee; this will 
cause him to drop on his knees. He will soon learn to 
come down on his knees by touching him on the legs with 
the whip. Be careful and not strike his legs too hard, as 
you are liable to make them sore and cause needless pain. 

TO KICK UP. 

To teach this trick, take a piece of sole leather about a 
foot long, drive two or three tacks through the leather 
near one end, allowing the points to project; tap him 
lightly on the rump with this; as soon as he makes a 
motion to lift his hind parts, cease tapping and reward 
him ; then repeat until he will kick up at the motion of 
the whip towards his rump. 



TO LIE DOWN. 

Put on a halter or bridle, fasten a strap to the near 
front foot below the fetlock, pass this strap under the 
body to the right side, then up over the back ; let the colt 
take a step to enable you to pull up hie foot, holding the 
strap in your right hand, by reaching over his back draw 
his head around to the right, and pull down steadily with 
the right hand ; do not try to force him down too fast at 
first. Should he attempt to get up, draw his head back : 
when, he lies quiet, pet him for a few moments, then tell 



66 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

him to get up. Repeat this until he will lie down as soon 
as you take up his foot. I^ow take a whip, and as you 
pull on his foot tap him on the leg until he will drop to 
his knees, and then draw him over on his side. You can 
soon do away with the strap, and by tapping him on the 
legs and bearing down on the neck he will lie down read- 
ily. Continue this until he will lie down at the motion 
of the whip. Every time you force him down, or want 
him to lie down, use the expression, "lie down," plainly 
and distinctly, and in all tricks use a certain motion or 
expression that he may know what you mean. 



TO SIT UP. 

First teach your colt to lie down promptl}^ then take a 
harness collar and put it on, then fasten two straps to the 
hind feet, pass the straps forward between his fore legs 
and around the collar ; have a bridle on ; hold the straps 
in one hand, the bridle reins in the other ; draw the tail 
out flat and step on it; jerk the reins a little and tell him 
to get up ; he will throw out his front feet, but will be 
unable to raise himself clear up; step forward, still keep- 
ing a firm hold on the straps, and pet him; then let him 
rise to his feet. Repeat this until he will sit up without 
the collar or straps on. 



TO THROW RIDER. 

In teaching this trick, the colt should be taught to kick 
up, as directed in the chapter on "kicking up." Have a 
thick bed of straw on the ground ; get a boy to mount 



HOW TO TEACH TRICKS. 67 

the colt, then cause him to kick up ; have the boy fall off 
forward, then reward the colt. Continue this until he 
will try to throw his rider at the motion of a whip toward 
his rump. Always have the rider fall off at every effort 
the colt makes to throw him, and reward the colt by giv- 
ing him something he likes. When he will throw a light 
rider, put on a heavier one, and repeat the lesson. It 
requires a great deal of patience and time to teach a colt 
this trick. . Some days he will not work as well as usual ; 
when he does not. put on a light rider and work up as in 
the beginning. To make this more interesting, he should 
be taught to allow his rider to stay on until given the 
signal to throw him. To teach this, lead the colt around 
by the halter, then cause him to throw his rider ; after 
petting him, let the rider get on and try it again. In this 
way he can be taught to carry his rider until you give him 
the signal lo throw him. 



TO DRIVE STRANGERS AWAY. 

First teach 3'our colt to follow on the trot, then when 
he follows you to the gate or opening in the corral, re- 
ward him. A good plan to follow in teaching this would 
be to make a ring by setting posts and stretching ropes 
from one to the other ; have the colt on the inside, and 
when he follows you to the ropes, step on the outside and 
reward him. Now have some one come in the ring, you 
step away and let the colt follow the stranger to the out- 
side, then call him away and reward him. Continue this 
until he will run readily after any stranger that comes in. 



68 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

It takes but a short time to learn an intelligent colt to do 
this. 



TO WALK ERECT. 

This trick is very trying on the muscles of the hind 
legs, and there are a great many horses that are unable to 
do it, as they have not got the strength in their hind 
quarters. A horse, to stand up under this, should be well 
built, blocky and well muscled, especially behind ; and in 
teaching a horse this trick make the lessons short ; also 
in practicing afterward, do not allow him to walk an}^ 
great distance at a time. To teach this trick, put on the 
cord around the lower jaw and over the head; have a 
short whip or light stick in the right hand ; have the cord 
in your left hand ; give short, sharp jerks on the cord, 
which will cause him to throw his head up ; as he throws 
his head up, tap him on the lower jaw. Repeat this until 
he will lift his front feet from the ground and stand erect; 
this is enough for the first day. In giving the second les- 
son, if he gets up on his hind feet readily, step in front of 
him and say, "come here." Should he try to come down 
on all fours, tap him on the lower jaw to keep him up. 
When he makes one step, stop and pet him. A few les- 
sons in this way will learn him to balance himself and 
walk a short distance. Do not get too anxious and force 
him to do too much, or he will get discouraged and give 
you trouble in teaching him. 



RECIPES. 

In this chapter we will give a few recipes for the treat- 
ment of the most common diseases of the horse. Some 
of them have been kept as secrets and sold for large sums, 
and a number of them have been in use for years by some 
of our best veterinarians, and are highly recommended 
by them, and we have found by personal experience that 
they are reliable. 

LINIMENTS. 

Ko. 1^ — Cider Vinegar, - - 8 oz 

Spirits Turpentine, - - - 8 oz 
Oil Wormwood, - - -- J oz 
One Egg. 
Mix the vinegar, wormwood and egg thoroughly, then 

add the turpentine. This is very powerful, but will not 

blister. 
Xo. 2— Oil of Spike, - - - - 1 oz 
Origanum, - - - - 1 oz 
Hemlock, - - - - 1 oz 

Wormwood, - - - - 1 oz 
Sweet Oil, - - - - 2 oz 

Spirits Ammonia, - - - 1 oz 
Gum Camphor, - - - 1 oz 

Spirits Turpentine, - - 1 oz 

Proof Spirits, - - - - 1 oz 
These liniments are good for both man and beast. The 

last liniment when used on the human system should be 

without the turpentine. This is an excellent remedy for 

rheumatism neurals^ia and earache. 



70 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

COLIC. 

No. 1 — Chloroform, - - - - 1 oz 

Sweet Spirits Nitre, - - 1 oz 

Linseed Oil, - - - - 1 qt 
Give one-half first; if not relieved in three-quarters of 
an hour, give balance. 

No. 2 — Extract Ginger, - - - J oz 

Sweet Spirits Nitre, - - 1 oz 

Tinc't Opium, - ■ - - 1 oz 

Water, - - - - J pt 
This makes one dose. 



PURGATIVES. 

No. 1 — Barbadoes Aloes, - - - J oz 
Gentian Root, - - - 1 oz 
Ginger, - - - - 1 oz 

Syrup enough to make a ball. 
This makes one dose. 
No. 2 — Barbadoes Aloes, - - - 1 oz 
Ginger, - - - - 2 dr 

Bar Soap, - - - - J oz 

Mix. This will make two doses. Feed the horse bran 
mashes for a day or two before giving purgatives ; it will 
take less medicine and do better work. 



DIARRHCEA, OR SCOURS. 

Prepared Chalk, - - - 2 oz 

Opium, - - - - 2 drs 

Ginger, - - - - 2 oz 

Starch Gruel, - - - 1 qt 
This will make two doses. 



RECIPES. 71 



WORMS. 



Oil Turpentine, - - - 1 oz 

Linseed Oil, - - - 1 pt 

Areca Nat, - - - - 1 cir 
This makes one dose. 



MANGE. 

Oil of Tar, - - - - 8 oz 

Oil Turpentine, - - - 8 oz 
Linseed Oil, - - - - 8 oz 
The horse shoulcl be separated from all other horses, 

and washed every second day, and the above remedy 

applied thoroughly. 

HOOF OINTMENT. 

Pine Tar, - - - - 4 oz 

Whale Oil, - - - 4 oz 

Mutton Tallow, - - - 2 oz 

Apply once a da}^ Good for ^\eak feet, softening the 
hoof, and promoting a healthy growth of the shell. 



FISTULA AND POLL EVIL. 

Take of Turpentine, Ammonia and Camphor equal 
parts, and apply thoroughly as soon as the swelling ap- 
pears.' If it has broken, take Sulphate of Copper 4 drs.. 
Water 1 qt., and inject to all parts of the sore twice a 
day ; or. Corrosive Sublimate 2 drs.. Water 1 pt. 

RETENTION OF URINE. 

Sv\^eet Spirits Nitre, - - IJ oz 

Laudanum, _ _ _ 1 oz 

Water, - - - . 1 qt 
Tliis makes one dose. 



72 NEW METHOD OF HANDLING THE HORSE. 

CURB. 

Oil of Spike, Oil of Amber, Oil of Origanum, Spirits 
Camphor, Spirits Turpentine, of each 1 oz. Mix well 
and apply with smart friction three times a week. This 
seldom fails to cure if followed up. 



BLISTERS. 

Ammonia, - - - - 2 oz 

Oil Turpentine, - - - 2 oz 

Linseed oil, - - - • - 2 oz 
This should be thoroughly rubbed in until lightly blis- 
tered. 



BLISTER FOR SPLINTS. 

Biniodide of Mercury, - - 2 drs 
Lard, - - - - 1 oz 

Mix, and apply with considerable friction on and around 

the splint. This is also good for ringbones, applied the 

same way. 



FLY BLISTER. 

Spanish Flies, - - - 1 oz 

Liquid Tar, - - - J oz 

Lard, - - - - - 2 oz 

Mix, and apply thoroughly. At the end of two days 

wash off with soap and warm water, then apply some 

lard. 

A very simple and effective remedy for thoroughpin and 
bog spavin is to take salt and soft soap and rub in thor- 
oughly every night and wash off in the morning until 
cured. We have cured some very bad cases with this 
remedy. 



RECIPES. 



73 



SORE MOUTH. 

Tannin, 1 dr 

Borax, . . - _ 2 drs 

Water, 5 oz 

or, 
Chloride of Zinc, - - - 1 dr 
Laudanum, - - - J oz 

Water, 1 qt 

Wash the sore, both inside and out, thoroughly with 
either of these. 



INDEX. 



Catching the Colt 


Page 

5 


To Stand at Halter 


. 8 


To Handle the Colt 


10 


Proper Method of Bitting 


. 13 


Driving to Wagon 


17 


Breaking to Saddle 


. 23 


Fear of Different Objects .... 


29 


Balky Horses ..... 


. 34 


Running Away ... . . 


41 


Breaking Kickers 


. 43 


To Back 


48 


Falling Backwards 


. 49 


To TeJl the Age of a Horse 


51 


Line Under tne Tail, and other items 


. 56 


How to Teach Tricks . ' , 


59 


Recipes ....... 


. 69 



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